A man walks past a terminal of the Kuwait International Airport in this April 2020 file photo. Noufal Ibrahim, EPA-EFE
(UPDATED) The Kuwait government has imposed an entry ban on Filipinos without a residence permit, a circular order showed, citing the Philippines' alleged non-compliance to a labor agreement.
Issued by the Kuwait Directorate General of Civil Aviation on May 10, the memorandum has ordered personnel of Kuwait International Airport to bar Filipinos from entering the country, even those with visas, except for Filipinos who are Kuwait residents.
The circular was released upon the orders of the first deputy prime minister, interior minister and acting defense minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-ahmad al-Sabah because of the Philippines' supposed non-compliance to its bilateral labor agreement with Kuwait.
The Philippines' Department of Migrant Workers had implemented a deployment ban last February for newly hired or first-time domestic workers in Kuwait until Filipino workers were guaranteed protection following the tragic death of Jullebee Ranara.
The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait and the migrant workers' office have yet to release a statement on the entry ban.
More details to follow.
— Report from Maxxy Santiago, ABS-CBN News